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Friday, December 9, 2016

When I am resting because my body is weak, I need to remember that I am not wasting the day doing nothing. I'm doing exactly what I need to do. I'm recovering.

It's been quite a year. My health has not been great. After two surgeries and lots of rehab, my orthopedic surgeon has released me to begin workouts again. One month earlier than expected. Yay, Me! I feel like a bird freed from a cage...

...but afraid. I feel broken.

I did not expect mixed emotions at this point. Somehow beginning again feels very daunting. My confidence is nowhere to be found. I've felt this way before. In April 2002, I ran a half marathon. In July 2002 I was diagnosed with an early stage of cancer. Key words. Early Stage. One surgery took care of it. No chemo. No radiation. My doctor released me to run again, but I didn't. I felt defective. It was almost like grieving something lost. I shunned fitness options for eleven years.

That can not happen again.

With that cancer lesson under my belt, I'm reaching out to all my fitness buddies asking for their help. It's hard to explain how much I need them right now. I've also decided to write a series of posts about it in hopes of working through these strange emotions along with the physical challenges. My readers are awesome! I know I can count on y'all to rally behind me.

Lots of encouragement is needed.

I plan to write about my fitness plans and how they are going. Did I mention I need lots of encouragement? Please help me.

'Not sure what I will call this series. I am certainly no expert on fitness. It will just be what happens to be working for me. A 50-something grandmother who enjoys mud runs and heavy lifting and aerial fitness. There will definitely be running plans, flexibility, and basic weight lifting. You can also expect nutrition ideas, recipes, and, well, probably lots maybe a little bit of whining. ;-) I hope I have the courage to tell you about the failures.

That's as far as I've gotten on the decision making process. I'd love to hear what you think!

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Our News This Week... You may have noticed my humble little blog went dark for a while. EEEEP! I was pretty frantic trying to figure out what went wrong. Thankfully our neighbors are also bloggers and they helped! So, I am back! ;-)﻿ These sweet little marigolds are still blooming near the end of our sidewalk. Their gold and deep burgundy colors are just perfect for Autumn! My mother-in-law gave me a small tub of them ages ago. Each year, they re-seed themselves and bloom from late Summer until frost.

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Do you have any holiday posts you would like to share? New ones or old ones are welcome at the

Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being chosen. Be sure to check all of our blogs!

Choosing features never gets easier! There are so many impressive bloggers visiting each week and they post about all kinds of interesting topics, but I don't have a feature this week 'cause the ol' blog was dark last week! Did I mention I'm back? ;-) 'So glad to be back!If you have been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

We all love comments! Please hop around and show some love!

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Friday at 11:59pm. Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites. Please visit other blogs if you have a moment.

All family friendly links are welcome. Share older posts as well as new ones. No limit on links!

*Pictures should be your own* By linking up you give us permission to use these photos

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Partial Synopsis from Garden Guides: Miller and Rollin have collaborated to create a collection of 25 beautiful and functional structures that will surely appeal to gardeners and outdoor designers.

My Thoughts: This is one of those perfect coffee table books to thumb through and day dream about Spring on cold Winter evenings! The photos are lovely and the projects are actually quite doable with everything from a Poet's Arbor to a Down Home Pole Trellis! I like that the book includes suggestions for what plants would work best for certain looks. My favorite section is the rustic chapter near the back of the book. Poor Handsome Husband has already been given an assignment! ;-)

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Our News This Week... I feel like I had a nice breakthrough in physical therapy on Thursday. My therapist, Brooke, was teasing me about how I fight her on this one particular stretch. It makes me nervous and I get SUPER tense every time. Well, Thursday, she tricked me into relaxing and got a nice, deep stretch. Oh, my goodness! My hip has felt so much better since then! Thank you, Brooke! In family news, we host Thanksgiving, so we are in the midst of cleaning house and getting everything "just right" for our loved ones! It's such a joy to have everyone here!

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My garden in October. Notice two bird baths are snuggled into the foliage for a bit of privacy.

I've forgotten the name of this lovely plant, but adore the splash of raspberry color it adds to my garden in Fall.

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Do you have any holiday posts you would like to share? New ones or old ones are welcome at the

Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being chosen. Be sure to check all of our blogs!

Choosing features never gets easier! There are so many impressive bloggers visiting each week and they post about all kinds of interesting topics! My favorite cookie is White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut. So this post Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies naturally caught my attention! ;-)

The recipe is from Toni at Small Home Soul! I love Toni's twist to this classic!

If you have been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

We all love comments! Please hop around and show some love!

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Friday at 11:59pm. Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites. Please visit other blogs if you have a moment.

All family friendly links are welcome. Share older posts as well as new ones. No limit on links!

*Pictures should be your own* By linking up you give us permission to use these photos

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Partial Synopsis from the Author's Website:You know Ruth’s story. Now meet her in person. And prepare to be changed. Walk with Ruth as she travels from Moab to Bethlehem, certain of her calling, yet uncertain of her future. Hold Naomi’s hand and watch love put the pieces of her broken life back together. And hang out with Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, who blesses both women and honors God, big time.

My Thoughts: This is the first book I've read by Liz Curtis Higgs. No wonder she is a best-selling author! I love her writing style! I've read the Book of Ruth and studied it before, but it's never been brought to life quite like this. There are plenty of time gaps in the Book of Ruth with very little detail about what happened. While we will never really know, Liz offers some possible options. I loved her humorous approach to this timeless love story.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

My 2016 Gourd Harvest was shown in this post right HERE! Even though only three little packets of seeds were planted, there were plenty for sharing with our family and friends. Of course I kept some for our Autumn decorating. Mostly outside, especially the bigger gourds. Click HERE to see the outdoor photos.

Today I want to show the ones inside our home.

These little cream colored ones were my favorite this year. I like both the shape and color. You might remember this bowl was FREE ;-) and found at Pickin' Time on 59!

I'm not sure if Kati Cat likes the gourds or not.

No matter what's happening around here, she's right in the middle of it. ;-)

Orange has a way of brightening the simplest of arrangements.

Yellow is fun, too!

'Just one more week of these pretties and then I'll begin decorating for Christmas!

If you are looking for some inspiration, take a look at the link party I am co-hosting called Wrapping Up the Holidays! It's all about gift wrap, cards, recipes, family traditions and activities. If you have any holiday posts, we'd love for you to share them!

About Me

Hello! My name is Marci. Thank you for stopping by. Our home is an old rock farmhouse built in the 1930s. There are two greenhouses, a vegetable garden, herbs, several flower beds, lots of hobbies and too many pets. I hope you enjoy this humble little blog!